The Return to Symphonia
by AndieArmstrong
Summary: Kratos kills Anna. That's how it's always been. That's what happened. Right?
1. KRATOS IS A MUSE! WTF

**Me: I wrote this out of inspiration from a picture I found of the Aurion-Irving family. I truly do love ToS, but I love messing with storylines way more. I hope you enjoy my story. Please review. And pass this along. My happiness depends on it. No pressure. I think I'll have a muse to talk to 'cause I get lonely.**

***poof***

**Kratos: Where am I?**

**Me: KRATOS! Yay! I love you.**

**Kratos: *Backs away slowly***

**Me: Muahaha. I can sense your fear.**

**Kratos: Humph.**

**Me: I should have picked a conversationalist. Oh well. SAY THE DISCLAIMER, MINION!**

**Kratos: *Sigh* AndieArmstrong owns nothing.**

* * *

"TAKE THAT DESIAN!"

"Scoot back from the television, sweety."

"But, Mom! I have to beat Kvar! Lloyd needs to avenge his mom!"

"He can avenge his mom AFTER you scoot away from the television." I said as I dragged my 12-year-old away from the television.

"Mom…." She groaned.

"Haley…." I groaned in reply.

Haley turned her attention back to the screen and began running backwards through the maze that led to Kvar's office. She then became bored and changed the outfits of all of her characters and equipped them all with the latest equipment. She groaned and plopped on the floor. "Moooooooooom," She groaned "I'm lost."

"I can see that. Hand it over." I commanded as she tossed me the remote. I swiftly ran through the desian ranch. I avoided everything in the way and got to Kvar's office with no damage collected. "And that's how you do it." I smirked.

"It's embarrassing that you're better than me at this game." She laughed as I stood up from the small chair and began making dinner in our small apartment kitchen. Halfway through chicken sandwiches, the doorbell rang. I walked past Haley as she squealed in happiness while screaming, "SUCK THAT KVAR! YOU'RE DEAD! TAKE THAT!"

"Calm down!" I scolded. I approached the door and looked through the peephole at an unusual looking man. The man had blue hair hanging in his face and a cape flowing behind him. He looked like a nerd convention gone bad. It's hard to go worse than a nerd convention. As I turned the doorknob, the door squeaked and I looked the man in his green eyes.

"Anna?" He said in a questioning tone.

"No. I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. My name is Jean."

"Are you sure?"

"Not exactly. Unless you knew me about twelve years ago, then I doubt that I'm the person you're looking for."

"Twelve years?"

"Yes, I have amnesia. I don't remember anything before twelve years ago, so if you knew me twelve years ago, then I might be this 'Anna' person."

"I knew you twelve years ago. There's no doubt in my mind about it. May I come in and explain?" I glanced back to my Haley who was beginning to run out of the ranch. She was doing a small dance in front of the television. I glanced back at the strange man. If he wasn't so weirdly dressed, I might have been embarrassed to let him see my daughter dancing around the room.

"I'd feel a bit more comfortable letting you in if I knew your name." He took one step in the doorway and looked down at me in his extreme height.

"Yuan. Yuan Ka-Fai"

"What do you know, Mr. Ka-Fai?" I glanced to the floor.

"I know where you belong." He paused "Anna," I looked up from the tiles "I want to take you home."

* * *

**Me: Short. I know. I need motivation.**

**Kratos: Her name is Anna?**

**Me: I can't wait to keep this going.**

**Kratos: Wait, it isn't ANNA. Or is it?**

**Me: You make it sound like that would be a bad thing….**

**Kratos: Wait a minute…..**

**Me: No minutes left. The story's over. REVIEW!**


	2. Anna Plus Heights Equals Oh Shioot

**Kratos: This story confuses me.**

**Me: Maybe I'd tell you what will happen if you stood on that table over there and did the chicken dance.**

**Kratos: Fine. This is for you, Anna. *Commences chicken dances* Now tell me about the story.**

**Me: *Stops hysterical laughter* I said I'd MAYBE tell you what will happen. So technically, I don't HAVE to tell you any-**

**Kratos: Grave.**

**Me: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

**Kratos: AndieArmstrong owns nothing. She does apologize for the extreme shortness of chapter one. **

**Me: I'LL TRY AND MAKE THIS ONE LONGER!**

**Kratos: You have NO RIGHT to be speaking.**

**Me: Shi-oot. Shoot. That's what I was going to say. Heh.**

**Kratos: Move on with the story.**

* * *

"This is my home. I've lived here as long as I can remember." I looked up at the man across the table.

"But you lived where I come from before your amnesia."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I know of a photo of you that's in a locket. It is of you, your husband, and your son." My breathing stopped.

"Husband?" I choked out. "Son?"

"Yes, the husband who is also the father of your daughter over there."

"Her father left before she was born. I know who her father is." I said in fake assurance. I paused. I had an important question I wished for him to answer, but I couldn't choke it out. "I have to say," I began as he looked up from his coffee mug. "That you look remarkably like one of the characters in Haley's video game."

"Video game?" He asked in shock. "Which one?"

"Tales of Symphonia." He looked at me in blank shock.

"So you know where your home is?"

"Sir, I don't know who you are, but are you insinuating that I am from a video game?" I said as he nodded in reply. "Dear lord, you come into my house, dressed like a character in a video game, and you come telling me about a family I have that apparently I don't remember, and now you tell me that I live in the video game." He was silent for a moment and hen nodded. "Sir, let me take you back to the loony house you came from. What is your real name?"

"Yuan Ka-fai." He answered slowly.

"Not your cosplaying name. I mean your real one." Haley paused her game and turned to look at the ruckus going on behind her.

"Yuan Ka-fai." He repeated. As I began to open my mouth again, he intervened with, "Anna! We have to time for this!"

"My name is Jean!"

"You two need to come with me."

"Two?" I breathed. As I looked over to the feared look on Haley's face as the man grabbed my wrist and dragged me over to Haley and grabbed her wrist as well.

"Mom!" Haley screamed as he gripped her hand.

"Hold on tight." He said as pink wings sprouted from his back and began to flutter behind him. He then dragged us outside the door. My feet couldn't feel the ground below me. I couldn't breathe. My fear of heights had kicked in the moment his wings powered us into the night sky. I began to hyperventilate. My other hand felt a slight pressure as Haley grabbed my hand in support. My breathing slowed slightly at the comfort of having my daughter there for support.

"Mom!" Haled screamed. I felt lightheaded and I began to fall into the darkness of my mind.

* * *

"Anna," I opened my eyes to the man with blue hair. "Thank goddess you're alright."

"Stay away from me!" I yelled as I sat up from the ground. "Where are we?"

"We're at Lake Umacy." He said as he helped me up from the ground. "The chosen's group will be arriving here soon. You should wait here until they get here. If you're wondering where Haley is," He said as a mentally smacked myself for forgetting her, "She is taking a nap under that palm tree. She fell asleep as soon as we landed the Rheaird. She wouldn't shut up the whole ride. She kept on screaming 'Wheeeee!' or 'This is so awesome' or 'Fly straight you freak!'"

"We were on Rheairds? Flying? I was asleep?" He nodded. "You have to give me some answers."

"I would, but your group is coming. I didn't bring you here. Understand?" I nodded. "Here's a communicator. Use it if you really need to speak to me. Don't show it to anyone else." He turned toward the Rheaird parked a few feet away.

"Wait!" he turned around. "Are my husband and son really here?" He nodded. "When will I meet them?"

"In due time. It might be easier for them to find you if you go by 'Anna'."

"I'll trust you. I don't know why, but I do." He smiled. "Goodbye, Yuan."

"Goodbye, Anna." He got on the Rheaird and waved before he zoomed into the rising sun. I walked over to Haley, who had been awakened by the noise. I crouched by her side and kissed her forehead.

"Mom, am I going insane?"

"No more than usual. I'm more worried about myself at the moment." I smiled at her.

"I see someone coming!" She exclaimed as she stood up and jumped around.

"Why are you so excited?"

"I see Kratos." She whispered.

"Why are you whispering?"

"Angel hearing." She whispered in reply.

"Oh." What a little fangirl. She loved Kratos. She loved him to an extent that was unhealthy when I thought he was just a character. "Yuan said they were heading here anyways. Most likely for the unicorn. Remember, we don't know anything about what's going on. We aren't from earth, either."

"Right. But where are we from?"

"How about Luin? We were dropped here by the desians. We've been kept there for a long time, and we recently escaped." I explained. We turned to the crowd of five moving toward us.

* * *

**Me: Did you like it? Or was it crap? Seriously.**

**Kratos: So her daughter loves me?**

**Me: Yes. She loves Zelos more. She can't go out with you anyways.**

**Kratos: Heh. Review her story.**

**Me: Or I'll have Kratoast 'Grave' you.**

**Kratos: Kratoast?**

**Me: Yeah, someone's youtube name. I love it. **

**Kratos: Heh.**

**Me: This chappie is a bit longer. I hope you like it. **


	3. Kratos is a Cooking Housewife?

**Me: Humph**

**Kratos: What is the matter?**

**Me: I only have 2 reviews. Gah!**

**Kratos: Aren't reviews good?**

**Me: NOT WHEN THE ONLY TWO YOU HAVE ARE FROM YOUR FRIEND WHO IS OBLIGATED TO READ YOUR STORY!**

**Kratos: Maybe you should update your story more.**

**Me: *evil Kratos glare* Maybe I should end the story quickly and just kill you all with a bomb. **

**Kratos: But what do I know about stories?**

**Me: NOTHING! NOTHING I TELL YOU!**

**Kratos: *sigh* She owns nothing.**

**Me: NOTHING!**

* * *

"Haley, what's this?" I then held up a small bag.

"I don't know. Blue-hair dude left it. We must be at Lake Umacy."

"What?"

"This is Lake Umacy. I know this game back and forth."

"Oh, that's why you needed my help defeating Kvar. Are you suggesting that we're in Tales of Symphonia?"

"Mom, we were just standing next to Yuan. What other explanation do you have?"

"I never said you were wrong. I just wanted to make sure I understood what you were saying."

"Do you think I'm right?"

"It's the only logical explanation at this point. Although, what's going on isn't very rational at all." I opened the small pack and I looked inside. There was no way all of these items could fit in here. Clothes, food, and wait, are those swords? Must be a wing pack. Hmm, might as well put the communicator in there. I took out the supplies and threw the smaller of the clothes toward Haley. She, of course, with her bad reflexes, just swatted it to the ground in defense.

"Pick those up."

"Fine. Why did you trust him anyway?" She said as she bent down to pick up her clothes.

"I don't. But we need someone to be on our side so we can get home. Shouldn't the group be here soon?"

"Umm, Mom!" Haley yelled quickly. I looked outside of the bag to see a purple-spandexed man holding a sword to my neck. It was Kratos. Damn.

His eyes widened as I looked up at him, but he held his sword firm. Damn, he was tall. "Who are you?" He demanded.

"My name is Jean." I began as Kratos dropped his arm to his side. "My daughter and I were dropped here in the desert by desians. I hate to say it, but we are very lost." Kratos continued to stare in skepticism. It was pretty creepy. The rest of the group stood and stared at me like I was an alien. "Why are you staring at me?" I asked them all.

"It's nothing." Raine began. "We would like to give you some assistance. Would you care to join us for some dinner?"

"Of course."

"Lloyd, go fetch some firewood."

"But, Professor!" Lloyd retaliated. Raine gave him a 'Teacher Glare' (for lack of a better word). He sighed and walked off toward the closest edge of the woods.

"Lloyd, wait!" Colette squeaked as she ran over to him. "I'll help you out." They smiled at each other momentarily and continued walking into the forest. Genis became aware of both of his friends walking away, ran after them while yelling things along the lines of 'Wait up, guys!', 'Slow down!', and 'My legs are short and I'm lonely, so wait up!' (Well, maybe not that last one).

"Mom, can I go?" Haley asked as she began doing a little jump in place with her hands in a prayer while mouthing 'Please' over and over again.

"Alright, but stick with the group!" I yelled after Haley's disappearing figure. "Would you like me to help you cook?"

"I'll do the cooking." Kratos said in a deadpan voice. Gosh, he was such a Regal.

"Please let me help. I'll feel useless if I'm not doing something." I begged.

"You'll just get in the way." He said as bent down to retrieve the ingredients. As soon as he was not looking at me, I stuck my tongue at him. Sheena saw this and apparently pointed it out to Raine. They both were still slightly giggling as Kratos looked up in slight confusion at their laughter. The look of confusion on his face was too much for Sheena, and she burst out laughing. "What is so funny?" Kratos finally asked.

Sheena (still unable to breathe) gasped out between fits of laughter, "Jean- hahahaha- Jean, I love you!" Okay, maybe she wasn't so bad after all.

"Nevermind." Kratos finally said. Oh, well.

"Anyway, so could you two tell me your names?"

"I'm Raine."

"And I'm Sheena."

"You guys have such pretty names!" I jumped slightly at the sudden sound of my daughter's voice. "Mine's just plain old Haley."

"That's a wonderful name." Raine consoled. "You said you were from a ranch. Which one?"

"The evil and nasty Kvar!" Haley exclaimed. Kratos stopped fumbling around in his bag for a moment, but he shook his head and continued.

"We were just at that ranch, right?" Genis asked. Ah, Genis. A.k.a Captain obvious.

"Yeah, don't worry about Kvar. He's taken care of." Lloyd said under his breath.

"Okay, so I know Kratos, Raine, and Sheena's names." I said quickly changing the subject. "You three are…?"

"Lloyd."

"Genis."

"And I'm Colette!"

"Nice to meet you all!"

"Mom." Haley whispered. "We're at the same spot I was in the game." That was true. They just killed Kvar. Haley just killed Kvar. Hmm….

"So Kratos, Raine, Sheena, Lloyd, Genis and Colette, what are you doing at this big lake?"

"There's a unicorn at the bottom of the lake and we need its horn to help Governor-General Dorr's wife get back to normal." Genis explained.

"Normal?"

"Her exsphere was removed and she turned into a monster. Wait, you two were in the human ranch, right?" I nodded. "Why don't you two have exspheres?" Kratos stopped stirring the stew he had been making. Shit. Think. Think. Think. Ah-ha!

"They were about to put them on us when the intruder alarm went off. So I guess we have you guys to thank for that." That put a smile on Lloyd's face. He was probably thinking about his mother, Anna. Isn't that the name that Yuan had said I use? He'd said that I'd find my husband and son here. He couldn't have meant… could he?

"Dinner." Kratos quietly announced.

Is Kratos my husband? Is Lloyd my son? Is Noishe my protozoan?

Who am I?

**

* * *

**

Me: Hehehehehehe! Kratos is so oblivious! So is Anna! So is Lloyd! Ahh!

**Kratos: You are acting juvenile.**

**Me: You're just a fuddy-duddy.**

**Kratos: Fuddy-duddy?**

**Me: Yes. Fuddy-duddy.**

**Kratos: *facepalm***

**Me: HOW DARE YOU FACEPALM ME! YOU WILL DIE!**

**Kratos: *sigh***

**Me: Review. Pretty please!**


	4. Mittens are Hand Warming Devices

**Me: I'm tired.**

**Kratos: What time is it?**

**Me: 1:00 am. **

**Kratos: That is not healthy.**

**Me: Probably…Oh, well. Why stop now?**

**Kratos: *Sigh***

**Me: Dissenters shall inevitably abhor.**

**Kratos: What?**

**Me: In other words: Haters gonna hate.**

**Kratos: She owns nothing. **

**Me: Hehehehehehe. *twitch***

**To my reviewers, I love you all through eternity. You are making me actually want to do something having to do with writing. Yay? So, keep reviewing to keep me motivated. I have confidence issues. Just kidding. Someone needs to tell me how to un-block anonymous reviewers. Life is being cruel and not telling me what I need to do. Grr. **

**Doodlebugg: I am soooo happy to get to show you my perceptive of you. Muahaha. Bad reflexes. Deal with it.'**

**Oursolemnhour49: You have my favorite Kranna story ever. It's very flattering that you like my story and I like your's. Keep up your great work!**

**Taeniaea: I'm so glad you like it! If you review more….maybe I'lll update faster. Just kidding. Okay, maybe not. **

**Glorious-hypnotoad: This is my favorite review ever. It made me jump around and do a happy dance before I forwarded it to my friend to brag. Deal with it.**

**ThePurpleRose: Thanks for the advice. I'll try it out as soon as I figure out fanfiction. Maybe one of these days… **

* * *

I ate my dinner in silence unless someone brought up a random question directed at me. Haley was keeping up conversation though. She and Genis sat together on my left. Genis was attempting to explain cooking to Haley. More power to him. Colette and Lloyd were having a small food-slinging fight. Raine got up and smacked them on the back of the head when a misfire splashed on her neck. Sheena was breaking out in laughter at the sight. On my other side sat Kratos who wasn't eating anything at all. I know he doesn't have to eat, but food is good. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. I wonder if he knows. That would make sense. If I found out my deceased significant other was alive, I'd be pretty out of it, too. If it was true, I'm sure he'd say something.

Unless he wasn't sure either. If he wasn't sure that I was his Anna, then he wasn't going to say anything. He probably won't say anything anyway. He kept his fatherliness away from Lloyd and never planned on telling him. How could I know if it was true?

Yuan. Yuan knows. How can I contact him? Oh, right! The Renegade communicator! I quickly finished my food and stood up. I grabbed the wing pack and excused myself for the restroom as a cover. I walked into the forest until I was out of sight. I reached into the wing pack and pulled out the communicator. I pressed the blue button on the device. It was static for a few moments, and Yuan's voice shortly followed. "Hello, Anna."

"Am I Anna Irving?"

"You haven't figured it out yet?"

"I want assurance. Am I Anna Irving?" I repeated. He was silent for a moment.

"Yes." He sighed.

"So Lloyd and Kratos..?"

"Yes." I let out a breath. How could this be true? Lloyd's mom is dead. His father killed her. Kratos.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Do you want to go back?"

"No, I just want to know your reasoning."

"That will have to wait for another time. Return to your group." He said as the communicator fell to static. I pressed the red button to end the communication. The area around me fell silent. Why was my life falling to pieces?

"Mrs. Jean?" a voice called from behind me. I saw the purple-clad man walking over to me with his hand on his sword. "The group is going to sleep. You should come back now." I nodded silently, still in shock. Should I tell him what I know? I looked into his reddish-brown eyes and had to force myself to break away from them and begin my walk back to camp. This is Kratos we're talking about. He probably already knows. Who would forget their significant other? Wait. I did. "We have extra sleeping arrangements for you and your daughter to sleep with us for the night. In the morning, our intent is to move onward in our journey." I needed more time for this. I had to know my companions better.

"Could we go with you?" I asked quickly. Kratos raised an eyebrow at me. "My daughter and I are defenseless." I added.

"How did you escape a desian ranch without a weapon?" He questioned.

"A stranger helped us out. He was an insider on the ranch." Well, it was true…

"Humph." He replied. We approached the camp and everyone seemed to be asleep. Haley was sleeping closely to Genis. It was kind of cute. "You must speak to the group about joining us. It is not my decision." I nodded in reply as I sat on the only available sleeping bag they had as Kratos sat by the fire on his night-watch shift. I closed my eyes slowly and fell into the happy darkness of sleep.

_"Momma! My fingies are cowd!" A 3-year-old looked squeaked as he wobbled down the Flainor Street in his puffy jacket. _

_"Lloyd! I can heal it! Come here!" I yelled to the small child. He held out his small hands to me and I grabbed them in my hands and put a small kiss on each one. "Any better?"_

_"No, they still cowd!" Lloyd exclaimed._

_I pulled in a fake gasp. "What? Mom's kisses aren't helping!" I yelled as I picked up Lloyd in my arms. "This could be serious. Kratos! Did you hear that? Mom's kisses aren't helping!" I yelled to the man who had followed close behind with his hand always on his sword. He rolled his eyes slightly at my exclamation. _

_"Yes, I heard." He said in slight amusement. _

_"This calls for drastic measures. Kratos, give me the hand warming devices!" I yelled as once again, Kratos rolled his eyes and pulled out a small pair of Lloyd sized mittens out of the wing-pack. _

_"Thanks, Pawpa." Lloyd said as he curled into my chest. _

I jerked out of my dream. No. It was more vivid than a dream. This was something more. More like a memory. Maybe it was. I looked around. It was still dark and Kratos was still the only other who was awake.

"Nightmare?" Kratos called quietly across the burning fire.

"No. Not at all. A very nice dream actually."

"Well, get some sleep. I'll need to train you and your daughter a few techniques in the morning."

"Alright." I said quietly.

* * *

**Me: Muahahahahaha.**

**Kratos: Plotting?**

**Me: Yes. Zelos is the key. Bwhahahahahahahaha!**

**Kratos: She wishes to apologize for the wait. **

**Me: Yeah. Math homework sucks. **

**Kratos: Or could it be those Spanish grades?**

**Me: SILENCE MINION!**

**Kratos: What did you call me?**

**Me: Shit. Review!**


	5. Unicorn Scales

Kratos: Where are you, Andie? I have some questions for you. *picks up note taped to my chair*

_**Dear Kratos,**_

_**I have left the fate of the story in your hands. Do it justice. **_

_**-Andie**_

**Kratos: Now I can make us a family again. **

**Me: Just kidding! Hahahaha! I can't believe you fell for that! You were all like 'Oh, my! I can write a thousand love scenes between me and Anna until forever'! Hahahaha.**

**Kratos: Super Lightning Blade.**

**Me: Kratos, I turned off your powers. Your efforts are futile. SAY THE DISCLAIMER!**

**Kratos: AndieArmstrong owns nothing. **

**Okay, so I really want to see what's being said in the ToS anime. I mean, Doodlebugg showed me the Tethe'alla episode 3. Only the subs are in Chinese….. Fuck. Anybody know where the English one is? Oh. My. Goddess. 350 hits! 11 reviews! I love you all!**

**Oursolemnhour49: I really appreciate the advice. I didn't fix it until I was actually checking my email and I felt really stupid when I realized that after you log in, it's right there. *Mental slap to myself* But update The Hours Before Dawn soon! It's my favorite fanfiction story. I'm your number 1 fan. Deal with it.**

**ThePurpleRose: I didn't take it meanly or that big word… Oh, Yeah! Patronizing. It's a big help because I want to get more reviews than other people to prove points. Muahaha. **

**Doodlebugg: I will never forget the pantry. Don't post inside jokes though. It confuses readers. This alone probably confuses people enough. :)**

**gloeious-hypnotoad: I put more GenisxHaley in there just for you. And for Haley's sake. I want you to beg! It raises my self esteem! Yay! I feel better!**

**IMPORTANT: Okay, I have a confession. I messed up dates. I thought Lloyd was five when Anna died, so I said twelve years so he would be seventeen at the time of the journey. Crap. So, in my story, (Which I know is completely wrong) Anna died when Lloyd was five. Or, I'll go back and change it to make it better. Please let me know in your reviews to let me know if I should change it. I don't want to just change it and have everybody confused. Please help!**

* * *

"Sis! We can't just leave them here!" Genis defended.

"Genis! This isn't something people are just tagging along for. This is to save the world." Raine retorted.

"Ms. Sage, we might want to keep them with us for a while." Kratos added.

"Why?" She questioned.

"Two random women near Lake Umacy who claim to be from a human ranch, yet they don't have exspheres. We should keep an eye on them." He retorted. Raine gave him the teacher glare and Kratos returned it with his regular stare. Sheena could only stand on the side and look between them and wait for someone to blink. I had to stop this. I glanced down at Haley and gave her a look, and it seemed as if she understood what I meant by it. She slowly wandered over to Raine and hugged around her waist. That was as far as Haley could reach.

"Please, Raine!" Haley pleaded as Raine broke her stare from Kratos to look down at the young child grabbing onto her body. Raine then looked over to Genis who stood with a face that read 'PRETTY PLEASE!' all over it. "I'm afraid of the monsters!" Haley added with the puppy dog face on.

"Alright." Raine finally agreed.

"Yay!" Haley yelled as she danced around and glomped Genis from the side. He coughed in pain of Haley's bone-crusher hug. His face turned the same shade as Colette's Cruxis Crystal.

"Shall we proceed to the unicorn?" Kratos suggested as stoic as ever. Haley released Genis from her grasp. We all nodded in reply as we walked to the edge of the lake. I stopped Haley and I looked down at her. I held out my hand to give her a high-five.

"Nice puppy dog face." I told her with a smile. I glanced up at the group to see Kratos looking back at us with a longing look on his face. He knew. What I wouldn't give to tell him I knew, too. I grabbed my daughter's hand and tugged slightly to urge her to move. Haley and I joined the group at the waters edge. I looked down into the depths of the almost clear water and saw the distinct outline of a white horse.

The water was so clear here. It was so different than being back home with the murky waters of pollution. Everything in this world was so pure and clean here. I stopped for a moment and just took a deep inhale of the clear air. No smell of the neighbors' cats. No smell of the bus fumes. No smell of people smoking cigarettes in the alleyways.

"I suggest Colette and Haley should go." Raine began. The conversation continued from there as it did in the game. Haley, Sheena, and Colette went over to see the unicorn. One thing I did notice was that I could see Kratos' eyes burning into the side of my face. I wish he would say something. You know, get the elephant out of the room.

A splash of water rose the unicorn to the surface of the water. It stood with so much grace and beauty. While the unicorn spoke to them, I stood in an awkward silence with Raine, Lloyd, Genis, and Kratos. Raine did not feel the same way, though. She was having a mini ruin mode as Genis attempted to calm her down before Haley returned to shore. I rolled my eyes slightly. If only Haley wasn't so oblivious, Genis might have actually had a shot.

"Mom!" Haley screamed as soon as she touched land. "Did you see? I was this close to a unicorn!" She indicated about three feet with her hands. Raine creped up beside Haley.

"GIVE ME EVERY PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION YOU POSSIBLY CAN ABOUT THAT MAGNIFICENT CREATURE! DID IT LOOK LIKE IT HAD FUR OR WAS IT MORE OF A WATER LOOKING ANIMAL WITH SCALES? DID IT HAVE FEATHERS?" Raine commanded. Genis began to bash his head with his kendama until he heard Haley giggle.

"Why did you laugh?" He whispered in an attempt not to get smacked.

"She's so cool! You're so lucky to have a sister like her!" Haley exclaimed! Raine heard her statement and turned to Haley with a flattered look on her face. Sheena sighed in relief for Haley's comment pulled Raine away from Sheena's interrogation. I chucked at the scene before me.

"Mrs. Jean?" Lloyd said.

"Yes, Lloyd?"

"Have we met before this journey? You look so familiar." I didn't want this to happen here. I wanted him to know. I wanted him to know so badly. Just not now. Not so publicly.

"Perhaps. You look familiar, too." He nodded. I broke my heart not to tell him. It broke my heart to not tell Kratos. They deserved to know. Poor, Kratos. He just found his son and wife for the first time in twelve years, and he doesn't even tell them that he's their family. I quickly took a glance at Kratos, who was carefully watching my conversation with Lloyd. I had to tell him.

Tonight.

I would tell Kratos everything.

Tonight.

* * *

**Me: Goddess. I fail at updating. I'm really trying to take the advice people are giving me in the reviews. (Not doodlebugg's (Jk))**

**Kratos: So Anna isn't dead?**

**Me: Haven't you been listening? I said it in the story.**

**Kratos: Really? I shall reread it now. **

**Me: *In my head* **_**Yes! Another hit on the story!**_

**Kratos: I don't see it.**

**Me: You'll just have to wait and seeeeeeee!**

**Kratos: Give me back my powers for five minutes. That's all I need. **

**Me: You so silly!**

**Kratos: *Sigh***


	6. Tree Roots

**Me: Yeah, it's been a while for this story. Don't kill me. So, yeah. I kind of pushed this story to the side for a bit, but I'm ready to jump back on the wagon. Just Kidding. This will be the last update for both of my stories until I finish a one-shot for Fullmetal Alchemist. **

**Kratos: So the state of my family lies in your ability to finish your "one-shot"?**

**Me: Exactly! I have plenty more one-shot ideas as well.**

**Kratos: You can burn in hell.**

**Me: DISCLAIMER!**

**Kratos: *sigh* AndieArmstrong owns nothing.**

* * *

We traveled with the Regeneration team toward the town of Luin. We were walking across a small dirt road and walked to small groups of trees with exposed roots that cut through the hard dirt. I looked ahead at Haley who seemed to stumble a few times on the high roots jutting out of the ground. I help up a conversation with Raine about her prodigy brother, Genis. After talking with her for a bit, Lloyd drifted to the back of the group and talked with me about where he might have seen me before. It still cut my heart to not tell him that I knew.

While we traveled, I couldn't help but feel Kratos' watchful eyes on me. I couldn't look at him. I couldn't look at his cold eyes. The whole time, I was trying to think of a way to tell him everything about what Yuan had told me while Haley pranced along with Genis at her side. Raine and I exchanged knowing glances of what was going on between them. It reminded me of the look Colette and Lloyd share with each other. And sometimes, even the look Sheena will try to give to Lloyd, trying to get one in return. Why was it that I could not get that look out of Kratos? In my memory, he was a warmer man than he is now. He seems cold, stoic, and unfriendly. I'm sure the man I remember is there. But what if he's not? What if the man I knew and loved is no longer there anymore?

I got very lost in my train of thought, stumbled over a large tree root, and fell head first into a tree trunk. I blacked out for a moment until I fell deep into my memories, once again.

_"Mom?" I heard a young voice mumble. My eyes fluttered open to find the source. _

_"What is it, Sweetie?" I said gently, my throat burning. _

_"Daddy said you wernt fewing good," He said, worried. My food poisoning had subsided, for the most part. Staying in bed was one of Kratos' precautions._

_"Don't you worry, I'll be fine by tomorrow," I assured._

_"Lloyd?" Kratos' voice called from the next room. Lloyd's face got scared very quickly. He quickly jumped under the bed. "Anna," Kratos began, "Have you seen Lloyd? He ran off when I wasn't looking." _

_"I haven't seen him," I admitted. Smiling, I pressed my index finger to my lips, indicating for Kratos to be quiet. Then, I used my hand to signal that Lloyd was under the bed. I said the words 'Play along,' just loud enough for Kratos to hear me. Kratos quietly chuckled and nodded. I smiled happily that he'd agreed to this._

_"I wonder where Lloyd could be," Kratos pondered aloud, creeping toward the side of the bed. Lloyd's snickers could just barely be heard though the bed. Kratos quietly grabbed the bottom of the overhanging sheet, bent down, and tugged it open. Lloyd jumped out at Kratos' face, startling him. I began laughing at the surprised look on Kratos' face. Lloyd crawled out from under the bed and crawled into the sheets with me. Kratos walked around to the other side of the bed and sat down._

_"Momma, will you pway wif me and daddy when you few better?" He asked._

_"Of course, Sweetie." I assured. He climbed out from under the covers and pounced on Kratos. _

_"Daddy, les go owtside!" Lloyd commanded._

_"You get a head start; I'll be right behind you," Kratos agreed. Lloyd cheered and ran out the door. Kratos looked over at me. "Are you sure you're alright?" He asked, his eyes looking concerned. _

_"I'm fine. Go play with your son," I playfully instructed. He rolled his eyes and kissed my forehead. _

My eyes opened once again, but this time, to a circle of people looking down at me.

"Mom, are you okay?" Haley asked, scared. I pulled my hand up to my forehead. My forehead tinged in pain at the touch. When I looked at my hand, it was partially covered in blood.

"Move," A deep voice commanded. Everyone quickly moved out of the way. A purple figure stood up and the ground lit up below us. He began quietly casting a spell before yelling, "First Aid!" Almost instantly, the pain subsided. His gloved hand reached out, offering assistance. I took his firm grasp and stood up. I became top heavy and stumbled forward. He caught me before I toppled over. "Are you alright?" He asked firmly.

"I'm fine. Thank you," I said. He released me as I regained my balance.

"If you are okay to walk, then we should go," He announced. I nodded. Everyone began to walk again. Raine stayed at my side and made sure I didn't topple again. One good thing happened that day. I realized that the man I once knew was still there. When he asked me whether I was alright, he had that same look in his eyes.

* * *

**Me: You marshmallow!**

**Kratos: Humph**

**Me: Review and get a cyber-cookie!**


	7. What Chapter is this Anyway?

**The Return to Symphonia**

**I PROMISE THIS STORY STILL EXISTS.**

**Me: It's been a while. Huh, Krattie? A whole year….**

**Kratos: Where the hell have you been?**

**Me: Well… I wrote maybe half this chapter, and then the laptop got a virus. We had to wipe the hard drive. That mixed with my laziness. **

**Kratos: What about those "one-shots" you were going to waste my time with?**

**Me: Those got deleted as well. A couple of year's worth of work… just gone.**

**Kratos: I apologize for your loss.**

**Me: Thanks. So, I am going to be thankful that this story is still alive and well. Anyways, enough moping. SAY THE DISCLAIMER~**

**Kratos: AndieArmstrong owns nothing.**

**A special thanks to Link Fangirl01 for reinstating my hope in this story. Though I hardly believe it's utter genius, I'm glad that you enjoy it. ONWARD WITH THE STORY. Oh, and if you pick up the Hetalia reference, then you watch it too much.**

* * *

We traveled for another four hours before Kratos allowed us to stop. After a few hours of limping at the back of the group, Lloyd insisted that I ride on Noishe. I did so for the rest of the trek. I must have raised that boy well. We set up our camp along a creek side about two hours from Luin. I lay down on my mat and looked up at the sky. Raine continued to keep a check over me to make sure I didn't sleep in case of a concussion.

"Raine," I whispered, "I'm alright. I won't sleep for another hour or two." She gave me a sleepy nod and lay back on her pillow. Her light snoring picked up after about five minutes. It was hard to hear the quiet sound over Lloyd's booming snores. I don't snore, so he must have gotten it from Kratos. Since he never sleeps, I guess we'll never know. Speaking of Kratos….

I stole a glance in his direction; His eyes lay intensely on the fire. I rolled my eyes back to the sky, and I raised my finger to the night to trace the constellations. Strangely enough, the stars were aligned in the same way they were on Earth. After a while, I dropped my arm back to my side and took a deep breath of the crisp night air.

"Not asleep, are you?" A deep voice called from across the fire.

"Not quite. I'm not keen on getting a lecture from Raine." I whispered, knowing that his angel hearing would still heed my voice. He breathed out a small 'heh'.

"You're not from here are you?" He questioned.

"What makes you say that?" I demanded, sitting up quickly. I quickly hushed myself as Lloyd turned over in his sleep.

"Well, you joined this journey without any question as to its purpose, your comfort level amongst those who you met merely two days ago, an-"

"If you'll excuse me, I hate to interrupt."

"If you hate to do it, then don't. It's quite simple. Either way, your presence seems to bring entertainment to those below a certain age."

"Oh, you couldn't live without us." I scoffed, laying my head back down. My head throbbed as my eyes slowly began closing as I fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

"_Wake up, A012." I instinctively awoke to the number I had been called for the past three years. No more names like I used to be called. Anna, Annie, or Ann. No. My name was now Angelus Project, Inferior Being, or A012. My identity was lost among the mass of people herded through these hallways like cattle to the slaughter. The red-eyed demon slid into my holding cell. "Come, Angelus Project. You have a visitor." Kvar's voice hissed against the metal. "Cuff her." He commanded. Two of the Desians bonded my hands behind my back and my weak body obeyed their commands to walk forward._

_ I had once been very rebellious and disobeyed the Desians whenever I could, but now, after so many cracks of the whip, I was more of a trained dog. I kept my eyes glued to the floor. We walked into one of the usual checkup rooms. Only this time, no doctors to check my health. Only Kvar and a strange man with a broad sword at his hip. _

_ "As you can see, Lord Kratos; the Angelus Project has been highly successful." Kvar explained, sounding pleased._

_ "What has been its effect upon the human subject?" The man asked from the corner._

_ "Oh, well. It began as had a parasitical attachment. It came close to killing the subject. After a month, it began to make her stronger, and disciplinary actions were taken toward her." He said, crudely._

_ "I have a name." I announced, drawing the attention of the two men in the room. Kvar took a side glance at the intimidating man. _

_ "My apologies, Lord Kratos. It appears that she still does not know her place." He hissed. From the look on his face, he planned to send the whips upon me the moment this man left the room. _

_ "I shall be reporting to Lord Yggdrasill today. Give me any written data that you can about the Angelus Project and its subject." The 'Lord Kratos' commanded. _

_ "Of course, my Lord. Follow me." Kvar said, walking behind the man out the door. He stopped at the guard outside the door. "Take this one back to her cell, and give her three cracks of the whip for speaking out of turn." He murmured with a dangerous smile._

* * *

I jerked awake to the sound of Kratos unsheathing his sword. I rolled over slowly toward the noise. My eyes shot open at the large scorpions approaching the campsite. Kratos had already taken a battle stance. Lloyd startled awake and struggled to pull his twin blades from the leather straps that lay beside his mat. I looked around quickly to find any source of protection or anything to attack with.

"Stay out of the way." Kratos commanded. I didn't need to be told twice. I rushed over to Haley and Genis. Haley being the one who had somehow managed to sleep through the incident thus far. I took her into my arms protectively. Kratos, Sheena, Lloyd, and Colette began head-on attacks as Genis began to chant against the five oncoming monsters. Raine stood over Haley and me protectively.

"Mom?" Haley said quietly as her eyes fluttered open.

"What is it, Haley?" I asked, concerned.

"I don't want to be useless anymore." She confessed.

"Me either. We'll fix that, right?" I urged. She gave a quick nod before turning her attention to the battle in front of us. My eyes stared intently on Lloyd as he charged with hard attacks to the back of the scorpion. One of the claws on the beast swung around and swiped at Lloyd's torso. I covered my mouth to keep from screaming. Luckily, the sing only seemed to slice his clothing and not his skin. Lloyd took the kill shot on the last monster.

"How'd you like that?" He boasted.

"Overconfidence breeds carelessness." Kratos lectured.

"You need to focus." Raine instructed. Lloyd sighed and I heard a small giggle from Haley.

"I love the battle quotes…" She mumbled. I returned a small smile. She yawned slowly and sat up. Kratos sighed and turned to the group.

"It's almost dawn. Since everyone is awake, we'll make our way into town." He stated plainly before pulling out a towel to wipe the blood off of his sword.

"Aw, damn." Lloyd swore. His fingers traced through the slash mark that was across his shirt.

"Well, we don't have enough money to go ahead and tailor the shirt you already have or to buy a new one." Raine lectured. I peeked into the wingpack under my covers and discovered a small sewing pack.

"Lloyd, if you give me your shirt when we get into town, I can make an attempt to fix it." I said, shaking the box of needles.

"Oh… Thanks!" Lloyd exclaimed. As the group packed up to leave the site to head for Luin, I thought back to my interrupted dream. The first time I'd met Kratos. He stood by as they raised us for cattle. Of course, at that time, he was loyal to Cruxis. But now, he's seen Lloyd and me. Has his view of the world already changed? I sighed. So much for telling him last night…. I met his eyes across the camp. He broke it quickly as he threw a small pack over his shoulder. Time will only tell.

* * *

**Me: SO. Anyways, I'm not dead. I'm going to try and update more often on this story in my spare time, but no grantees during volleyball season. (Read as: keep faith, but it's probably going to take another year. XD)**

**Kratos: …**

**Me: No comment, Kratos?**

**Kratos: I'm afraid that if I speak, I might 'accidentally' Grave you.**

**Me: Oh, yeah! Did you forget? I took your powers away a year ago~ You can have them back. I'll use Lloyd as a meat shield! *grabs Lloyd out of space* **

**Lloyd: Dad?**

**Me: I LOVE reunions~ Review! It's encouraging!**


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